AARP Hearing Center
(From left) Diane Keaton, Pope Francis, Roberta Flack and Robert Redford were among the notable people who passed away in 2025.
AARP (FROM LEFT: Rachel Luna/Getty Images; Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images; Henry Diltz/Corbis via Getty Images; Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)
The end of the year always brings about a time for reflection, and as 2025 concludes, AARP is remembering notable figures we lost.
In the realms of global affairs and politics, the passing of Pope Francis in April was a major loss. Meanwhile, American politics saw the deaths of Dick Cheney, perhaps the most powerful vice president in the nation’s history, and former Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
It was an especially sad year for Hollywood, which lost several notable figures, including David Lynch, Gene Hackman, Val Kilmer, Diane Keaton, Diane Ladd and Rob Reiner.
The music industry also grieved significant losses in 2025, including giants such as Roberta Flack, Sly Stone, Brian Wilson, Connie Francis and Ozzy Osbourne.
The worlds of science and the arts experienced notable deaths as well, including Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, architect Frank Gehry, primatologist Jane Goodall, journalists John Feinstein, Bill Moyers, Susan Stamberg and Peter Arnett, fashion designer Giorgio Armani, and DNA pioneer James Watson.
In sports, boxing great George Foreman died, as did ice skating legend Dick Button. Baseball lost beloved funnyman Bob Uecker and all-around great Ryne Sandberg. Iconic wrestler Hulk Hogan passed away as well.
Here’s a month-by-month listing of all the obituaries AARP published in 2025.
January
Wayne Osmond, 73, singer and guitarist for The Osmonds
Peter Yarrow, 86, part of the folk-music trio Peter, Paul and Mary
Anita Bryant, 84, singer and vocal opponent of gay rights
Bob Uecker, 90, longtime Brewers announcer dubbed ‘Mr. Baseball’
David Lynch, 78, visionary filmmaker behind ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Mulholland Drive’
Marianne Faithfull, 78, British singer-actress
Dick Button, 95, Olympic great and TV voice of figure skating
February
Gene Hackman, 95, Academy Award-winning actor
Clint Hill, 93, Secret Service agent who leapt onto JFK’s car after the president was shot
Roberta Flack, 88, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter
Al Trautwig, 68, iconic New York Sports broadcaster
Boris Spassky, 88, Soviet chess champion who lost famed match to Bobby Fischer
March
Carl Dean, 82, Dolly Parton’s husband for nearly 60 years
Pamela Bach, 62, ‘Baywatch’ actress and the ex-wife of David Hasselhoff
John Feinstein, 69, one of the country’s top sportswriters
George Foreman, 76, boxing legend and TV pitchman
Richard Chamberlain, 90, TV actor who starred in ‘Dr. Kildare’
April
Val Kilmer, 65, ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Batman Forever’ star
Jay North, 73, ‘Dennis the Menace’ star
Wink Martindale, 91, legendary game show host
Pope Francis, 88, first Latin American leader of the Catholic church
Steve McMichael, 67, NFL Hall of Famer and wrestling legend
Video: Remembering Pope Francis
May
Jill Sobule, 66, rocker known for 1990s hit ‘I Kissed a Girl’
Ruth Buzzi, 88, comedic actor who gained fame on ‘Laugh-In’
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